Dynamics of Water Withdrawal in the Post-Soviet Space

The article examines changes in water withdrawal in the territory of the former USSR after its collapse up to 2020. The dynamics of water withdrawal and the structure of water use are analyzed both in the post-Soviet space as a whole and in individual sovereign states. A sharp decrease in water withdrawal, especially significant in the 1990s, was revealed for most states, including the largest water consumer, the Russian Federation. The actual water withdrawal in the post-Soviet space turned out to be several times less than predicted for this territory in a number of publications in the 1960s–1980s. With a general trend of decreasing water withdrawal practically throughout the post-Soviet space, this process occurred at different rates in each sovereign state, with the most rapid decline in the Baltic republics. Changes in the structure of water use are shown, which resulted in a decrease in the share of industry and an increase in the share of domestic water use and, to a lesser extent, agricultural needs. The dynamics of water withdrawal in the post-Soviet space and in the world was compared. If in the territory of the former USSR it generally decreased compared to the period before 1990, then in the world water withdrawal increased mainly due to irrigated agriculture, while in a number of developed countries it decreased as a result of the introduction of a number of water-saving technologies.